YMMV / Tintin: The Blue Lotus

• Esoteric Happy Ending: The book's ending includes Japan being forced to leave the League of Nations, which is portrayed as the government's comeuppance for their plan to invade China. What Hergé couldn't have known at the time was that Japan's withdrawal from the League would be a major factor in the beginning of World War II.
• Fair for Its Day: Ironically, despite actually being more culturally sensitive and accurate than the previous Tintin stories, quite progressive compared to other depictions of Asians in Franco-Belgian comics at the time, this comic is still seen as a point of reference for outdated Asian stereotypes. Hergé himself noted that the stereotypes of the day were much worse.
• Growing the Beard: Seen in retrospect as where the series really hit its stride, with the writing, artwork and cultural depictions all being far more sophisticated than the previous four books. Even today, it's seen as one of the best Tintin stories, and it was also one of Hergé's favorite entries in the series.
• Harsher in Hindsight: While it may seem like a Foregone Conclusion on Japan's role in the Second World War, the Blue Lotus was written during the Mukden Incident and Japan's subsequent withdrawal from the League of Nations.
• Ho Yay: Mitsuhirato seems to have this for Tintin throughout the book. His letter to Tintin is full of flowery language, even saying "I cannot convey my happiness at the prospect of gazing upon your noble and virtuous features."
  • Later in the book, Mitsuhirato has captured Tintin, and when Tintin asks what he is going to do, Mitsuhirato anwers "I am going to enjoy myself." (he eventually decides to make Tintin go insane).
  • Finally, when Tintin is facing execution (having rejected Mitsuhirato's last offer to save his life), Mistuhirato has nightmares about an angelic-looking Tintin escaping.
• Values Dissonance: In stark contrast to its depiction of the Chinese characters, the comic pulls few punches in stereotyping and demonizing their Japanese counterparts. That being said, it's still a more even-handed look at the Japanese than most other works of this era (especially post-Pearl Harbor), with most of the rank-and-file soldiers just being depicted as Punch Clock Villains, and only Mitsuhirato and a few of the officers being written as out-and-out villainous.

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